The Whitehorse psychiatrist threatening to leave the territory unless the Yukon government pays him in what he considers a more “equitable” way is giving the government a deadline extension before he closes his practice.

“I am cautiously optimistic,” Dr. Leo Elwell told the Star on Thursday. “I just want to see what they’re going to come up with.”

Elwell is seeking to be paid for his services through contracts rather than a fee-for-service model.

In late November, he sent out a letter saying he would be closing his practice on March 29, 2024 if things don’t change.

“Due to longstanding inequalities within the compensation models offered by the Yukon government for psychiatrists and the lack of
 due process to award contracts, I am required to close my practice and relocate to another jurisdiction,” Elwell wrote in the letter, dated Nov. 17.

The government has given Elwell contracts in the past, he said, but stopped awarding them to him without providing an explanation.

There are not many psychiatrists in the territory. Extensive training is needed, including a medical degree and five years of residency

Elwell is also certified in addictions medicine, and he said he is the only psychiatrist in the territory with this extra training.

He decided to give the government some extra time to come up with a fix after he was told there is a comprehensive review of psychiatric services being done in the territory, and that the government would meet with him once this is complete.

A spokesperson for the government’s cabinet communications staff confirmed to the Star that a review is underway.

“We are working with all Yukon psychiatrists to review and improve the way psychiatric services and wrap-around supports are provided in the territory,” the Star was told in an email.

“The review is on track, and we anticipate it to be completed by the end of January, approximately.”

Elwell has a meeting with government officials set up for Jan. 26.

“We’ll see what government has to bring to the table in January,” he said.

This does not mean Elwell is changing his demands — that the government pay him not per patient visit, but through some other form of contract.

“I have not changed my tune,” he said. “This is what I have been asking all along for over a year.”

When this issue was raised in the legislature last month, Elwell had sent his letter to all his patients, along with opposition legislators, asking them to urge the government to fix the situation.

At the time, Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee called his tactics “disturbing.”

After receiving an outpouring of support, Elwell wanted to thank those patients and others who have stood up for him.

“It’s been really humbling,” he said. “And it meant a lot to me what people have been saying.”